Skutt 231-18 two sections?

I am about to fire a kiln I bought used for the 1st time. I am testing some glazes and the kiln, and want to use only one ring of a Skutt 231-18. I have no instruction manual, so I assume I just remove the top ring, remove the lid from it, and fire it up? Sounds too easy, am I over-thinking this?

You can do that, but the difference in firing cost would be minimal. If you do it, make sure there's no risk of someone (children) sticking something into the exposed interbox plug while it's firing. And move it away from the wall and get those rugs out of there, too. Nothing flammable with 24 inches!

Just leave them together and fire.The cost will not matter much and it will be safer and easier,My 2 cents

There is a separate switch to turn the electric on for the top section. Should I leave that off, if I'm keeping the top section on? This is a test firing, I don't have enough material to fill the kilt above the 1st level.

well--I would first ask why you're firing to 10 in oxidation, and if you don't have a compelling reason, for the sake of your elements I would consider dropping to six... That aside, the 49.00 price is for ONE element. There are four in that kiln, 200.00 is about right for a set of four. You should check the wiring harness on the inside of the control box before you order and make sure none of the wires there are getting crispy... If they are, you should replace that at the same time you do the elements. I think a new harness is between 30-50 USD.

You may need a whole new wiring harness, but more likely you'll just need the element feeder wires. Even if all the wires look good, you may need new feeder wires if they are getting short from multiple element changes.

I was planning on putting some hard bricks inside the kiln as furniture and to hold more heat since the kiln has 2.5" bricks. eh guys?

Also what about these elements on ebay that just say 220V 600W. They come in all different wattages from 200-5000. Also I only have top and bottom no middle kiln section. Seems like bigceramicsstore.com is a rip.

The price at Big ceramic store is the standard list price. Not a rip at all. I would never buy elements off eBay. Are you looking at the $5.00 Chinese crap? The chance of one of those working properly is one in a million. It's not just about the wattage. It's about the thickness of the wire, the size of the mandrel they were rolled on, the length of the element, and the resistance. And 220 volts doesn't exist in the US. It's either 240 volts or 208 volts, and you have to get the right one. Just pay the $49 per element for the real deal and you'll be good to go.

The hard brick will just be more mass for the kin to heat up, wasting energy.

the empty middle ring is just to allow a taller piece the room you need to fire it. you will be heating more space than you need if you leave it in place all the time. your kiln may not go to the top temp if you use the empty ring. set it aside unless you make very tall stuff or want to bisque a large load.